06
Jean Saulsbury of Mariposa, California, requested advice from anyone who ever had to abandon ship — what to grab, how to be ready, what transpired (March ’08, pg. 95). Here are three responses.
I was on the Vistafjord (Cunard Line) when she had a fire in the middle of the night on April 6, 1997. I have to say that the crew were fantastic and did a great job.
When Karen Scott and I went on our annual catch-and-release striped marlin sports fishing trip to the Galápagos, Feb. 26-29, 2008, we found some changes in procedures that we think ITN readers will want to know about.
We flew on Continental in coach from Newark, New Jersey, to Belfast, Northern Ireland, departing at 9:30 p.m. on March 27, 2008.
We don’t fly a foreign carrier when a U.S. carrier has the route, even though we realize the U.S. carrier will not match the foreign airline in service. Why? Because our carriers need all the help they can get to stay alive; if not supported, more will go the way of Pan Am, TWA, etc.
We have found that Continental does provide comfortable seating and good service, having flown them many times on the Honolulu-Guam-Manila or -Hong Kong route and from Frankfurt to Newark or Dulles as well as Paris-Newark and New Delhi-Newark — all good flights.
We are fortunate to have an Air France flight available from Philadelphia to Paris. Taking advantage of the irresistible advance-purchase fares offered in May ’06, we flew Philadelphia-Bordeaux that November, from Philadelphia to Amsterdam that December and Philadelphia-Nice in March ’07. Our most recent Air France flight, to Paris, was in March ’08.
Air France’s Airbus is comfortable, clean and well equipped. The individual entertainment systems offer a variety of eye- and ear-catching choices.
We flew on Alitalia flight No. 637 from Miami, Florida, to Milan, Italy, on Sept. 9, 2007.
During our “Discover Thailand” tour (including pre-trip to Cambodia) with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA: 800/221-0814, www.oattravel.com), Jan. 14-Feb. 2, 2008, I slipped and fractured my ankle within 24 hours of our arrival in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Some situations take longer to conclude than others, as in this next letter. — Editor
by Susan Lowe, Covington, WA
“You’re stopping over in Hong Kong again?”
Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.
This month’s winner is BRUCE KIELSMEIER of Klamath Falls, Oregon: